Hozier spoke about his successful hit Take Me to Church , explaining that it was not an overnight success. It may seem that way, but a lot of hard work went into creating the single, and he believes that is why it is still doing so well in the charts. The single was nominated for Song of the Year at the Grammy Awards, but he left empty-handed after being beaten by Sam Smith.
According to New York Daily News , Hozier says that Take Me to Church has done so well due to Spotify . It is a stark contrast to Taylor Swift, who removed her music just recently from the streaming site because she believed it was no longer worthwhile. The Irish singer says that his hit was being listened to around the world, because of how fast information gets around now.
It also helps that the song is a catchy one, along with the fact that it tackles a number of issues. He acknowledged in an interview with Vanity Fair’s Lisa Robinson that he would be in trouble with the Catholic Church for his song. It is not the religion, but the organization that he has a problem with. He never intended to attack faith with his lyrics, but wants people to stop feeling ashamed for the way they feel.
“I would love to get in trouble with the Catholic Church. I’m not religious myself, but my issue is with the organization. It’s an organization of men—it’s not about faith. I don’t want the song to be considered an attack against faith, but when you have people feeling ashamed of themselves because of sexual orientation”
He acknowledged that Take Me to Church will not be the only song with political lyrics. Hozier is a very politically-motivated person, and he includes it in his music regularly. They will not all be like his latest hit, but he does hope that people will enjoy his music.
The lyrics for Hozier’s debut single certainly helped support the black and white video for the song. It follows a gay couple that is being persecuted by a gang, and Hozier noted that the idea came from the persecution LGBT couples face in Russia at this time.
The song did take time to develop. The Irish singer told Robinson that he had the lyrics for a year before they finally turned into a song. The vocals were recorded in his own home recording studio at 2am one morning. They tried tampering with them later, but found that the original vocal sound was the best for the style of the song. Take Me to Church was certainly hit home with many people around the world, which may have been why it was so successful.
[Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images ]